Solutions sales playbook for Ascom Oy
Sani, Markku (2021)
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Lataukset:
Sani, Markku
2021
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021060213424
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021060213424
Tiivistelmä
In this Bachelor’s thesis I examined how Ascom’s sales representatives obtain prospects’ commitment during sales calls. The topic of raised from the sales calls I have witnessed as a Business Development Manager in Ascom Oy. Often the prospect was left unengaged to the topic and the focus of the discussion was kept on the technical features of the solution instead of customer’s challenges.
In this thesis I analysed, how Ascom sales representatives utilise salesmanship in advancing the sales project, identified the handicaps that existed in the sales calls and defined how the existing handicaps can be tackled in the future. As an end-product of the thesis project I defined Solution sales playbook that describes the frame of reference that is needed in solution sales calls.
The Solutions sales playbook is based on the theoretical framework that describes the salesmanship related capabilities that each company needs from its sales representatives. I demarcated the capabilities with the following 4 elements of McKinsey’s 7S Framework: Shared values, Style, Skills and Staff. I defined the theoretical framework based on Neil Rackham’s SPIN model by augmenting it with Probert’s & co.’s customer oriented, iterative, value adding co-creative process and schedule perspective.
The empiric part was based on the evaluation of Ascom’s sales instructions and interviews of Ascom’s sales team members and management representatives about the sales style used in Ascom. With the first interview round that I conducted with Ascom’s sales representatives, I studied: How Ascom’s sales representatives obtain customer’s commitment during a sales call? And how Ascom sales representatives develop confidentiality in their customer relationships? The questions covered all the four necessary skills needed for a successful sales call: investigation, planning, interacting and closing. In the second interview round with the management representatives, I focused studying: What are Ascom’s management expectations regarding sales calls?
The study revealed that Ascom’s phase review policy related sales process does not identify the essence of the salesmanship. The existing sales guidelines focus purely on the definition of phases, roles and responsibilities, governance practice, templates and reviews and approvals needed during the process. There were no guidelines that defined either the customer relationship development or the engagement of the customer during the sales calls. This sales culture related deficiency was also visible in the interviews. Based on the interviews the customer was in the center of the sales calls. The sales representatives gathered more information during the sales calls and aimed to ensure that everyone shares the same understanding. Nevertheless, the sales representatives did not develop the implicit needs to explicit ones in order to obtain customer’s commitment. It seemed that the mentioned aim of common understanding was more focused on Ascom’s solutions than on customer’s needs, although the Business Development Manager hinted the opposite with a side clause.
In the Solution sales playbook, I tried to address the shortcomings of Ascom’s sales prac-tice by focusing both on the ideas of modern customer-driven solution sales and Ascom’s phase review discipline -oriented sales approach. The things needed to increase customer engagement have been collected to the Solution sales playbook.
Based on this thesis project and my personal experiences of solution sales, I recommend Ascom also to change the salesmanship paradigm to following direction. The essence of successful sales is in understanding the customers’ needs as Jon Berghoff emphasised in Susan Cain’s book Quiet: “I noticed early on that people don’t buy from me because they understand what I’m selling. They buy because they feel understood.” The only way to learn to understand the customers is to be in a constant interaction with them. That enables the development of a confidential relationship that ensures one can understand customers' needs.
In this thesis I analysed, how Ascom sales representatives utilise salesmanship in advancing the sales project, identified the handicaps that existed in the sales calls and defined how the existing handicaps can be tackled in the future. As an end-product of the thesis project I defined Solution sales playbook that describes the frame of reference that is needed in solution sales calls.
The Solutions sales playbook is based on the theoretical framework that describes the salesmanship related capabilities that each company needs from its sales representatives. I demarcated the capabilities with the following 4 elements of McKinsey’s 7S Framework: Shared values, Style, Skills and Staff. I defined the theoretical framework based on Neil Rackham’s SPIN model by augmenting it with Probert’s & co.’s customer oriented, iterative, value adding co-creative process and schedule perspective.
The empiric part was based on the evaluation of Ascom’s sales instructions and interviews of Ascom’s sales team members and management representatives about the sales style used in Ascom. With the first interview round that I conducted with Ascom’s sales representatives, I studied: How Ascom’s sales representatives obtain customer’s commitment during a sales call? And how Ascom sales representatives develop confidentiality in their customer relationships? The questions covered all the four necessary skills needed for a successful sales call: investigation, planning, interacting and closing. In the second interview round with the management representatives, I focused studying: What are Ascom’s management expectations regarding sales calls?
The study revealed that Ascom’s phase review policy related sales process does not identify the essence of the salesmanship. The existing sales guidelines focus purely on the definition of phases, roles and responsibilities, governance practice, templates and reviews and approvals needed during the process. There were no guidelines that defined either the customer relationship development or the engagement of the customer during the sales calls. This sales culture related deficiency was also visible in the interviews. Based on the interviews the customer was in the center of the sales calls. The sales representatives gathered more information during the sales calls and aimed to ensure that everyone shares the same understanding. Nevertheless, the sales representatives did not develop the implicit needs to explicit ones in order to obtain customer’s commitment. It seemed that the mentioned aim of common understanding was more focused on Ascom’s solutions than on customer’s needs, although the Business Development Manager hinted the opposite with a side clause.
In the Solution sales playbook, I tried to address the shortcomings of Ascom’s sales prac-tice by focusing both on the ideas of modern customer-driven solution sales and Ascom’s phase review discipline -oriented sales approach. The things needed to increase customer engagement have been collected to the Solution sales playbook.
Based on this thesis project and my personal experiences of solution sales, I recommend Ascom also to change the salesmanship paradigm to following direction. The essence of successful sales is in understanding the customers’ needs as Jon Berghoff emphasised in Susan Cain’s book Quiet: “I noticed early on that people don’t buy from me because they understand what I’m selling. They buy because they feel understood.” The only way to learn to understand the customers is to be in a constant interaction with them. That enables the development of a confidential relationship that ensures one can understand customers' needs.